Erode Medical College MBBS student alleges ragging, suicide attempt due to harassment, health ministry tells NMC, govt to inquire

Chennai: Alleging prolonged ragging by seniors and serious lapses by the college administration, a third year MBBS student of Government Erode Medical College and Hospital, Perundurai, filed a complaint with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The student, from the 2023 batch, claimed that the harassment pushed her to attempt suicide in August 2025 due to severe mental stress. She further alleged that despite informing the college authorities about the ragging, no action was taken, and anti-ragging norms were not enforced.

In her complaint submitted on April 1, 2026, the woman student said she was harassed by senior students, who were allegedly operating through an informal "student council". She also claimed that she and her family were threatened.

Acting on her complaint, the Union Health Ministry on April 6 forwarded the matter to the Tamil Nadu government, the National Medical Commission and the State Medical Education Department for investigation into the complaint. A response from the Directorate of Medical Education is awaited.

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According to the complaint, the issue began in early August 2025 after an unauthorised hostel room reshuffle. The student said she was repeatedly asked to vacate her room despite informing seniors that she had no alternative arrangement. She was allegedly called for multiple meetings on August 4, 12, 19 and 20 and pressured to shift.

On August 5, she was again asked to move rooms even though she was undergoing treatment for vertebral disc prolapse. She has submitted audio recordings purportedly capturing seniors asserting that any escalation would "come back" to the student council, indicating the extent of informal authority exercised.

The situation escalated on the night of August 21. The student alleged that she was confined during a hostel meeting for four-and-a-half hours from around 8.30 pm to 1 am, where senior students and batchmates were present. She said she was made to stand for a long time and later forced to sit without back support despite being in pain.

Speaking to The Hindu, she said, "Despite my medical condition of vertebral disc prolapse, I was forced to sit without back support and subjected to abuse and intimidation." adding that she was made to remain seated till 1 a.m. despite severe pain.

"I repeatedly requested them to allow me to leave, but I was not permitted," she told DT Next, describing the episode as physically and mentally distressing and dehumanising acts.

She further alleged that even after returning to her room, the pressure continued late into the night with repeated insistence that she agree to vacate. She claimed she was followed into the washroom and warned against "creating sympathy".

On August 22, she consumed excess propranolol tablets amid severe anxiety and pain. She was taken to the emergency ward, where low blood pressure was recorded, and admission was advised. However, the complainant accused the then assistant warden of instructing medical staff not to make an Accident Register entry and to avoid formal medico-legal documentation, citing directions from a "higher authority".

Further, she alleged that the then hostel warden asked her to withdraw her complaint. The Dean, Dr T Ravikumar, was informed through emails sent on August 22 detailing the incident, but no suo motu anti-ragging inquiry or police complaint was initiated at the time, the student has claimed.

An inquiry was conducted on September 6, 2025. However, she alleged the assistant warden was present during the proceedings and influenced them. She also alleged that while her father and brother were summoned and intimidated, the parents of the senior students were not called. "The committee focused on finding fault with me rather than identifying those responsible," she said.

Citing RTI replies dated January 6, 2026, the student pointed out that the so-called student council had no authority over hostel room allocation. She has also alleged denial of inquiry documents and academic setbacks, including refusal to sign her record notebooks.

Seeking an independent probe, she has cited violations of anti-ragging regulations and constitutional safeguards, stating that the institutional response aggravated her distress rather than addressing it.

She further alleged her academic records were not signed by faculty; her internal assessment records were missing; and the environment was not conducive.

In response to the allegations, the Dean, T. Ravikumar, told The Hindu, "The issue pertained to a hostel room change among girl students, which the student had initially declined. An inquiry had been conducted and, on the Collector’s direction, an external committee comprising experts and lawyers from another district was constituted, but the student did not appear before it. He added that over 100 students had submitted complaints against her to the Chief Minister’s Cell. A single room was later allotted to her."

Reacting to this, the student said, "The order constituting the external committee did not specify the nature or purpose of the inquiry or the allegations. Besides, the names and designations of the committee members were not disclosed. It is my right to be informed of the details and purpose of the inquiry. Hence, I have outlined my concerns and expressed my unwillingness to appear before the committee."

After the Centre’s intervention, the student has now been allotted a separate hostel room, and an inquiry is currently underway.

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